Circular water skis or surfboard

ABSTRACT

A SAUCER-SHAPED WATER SKI INCLUDES A ROTATABLE TURNTABLE FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING THE USER&#39;&#39;S FEET.

Feb. 20, 1973 H. E. SORENSON CIRCULAR WATER SKIS OR SURFBOARD Filed Sept. 25, 1970 INVENTOR HUGH E. SORENSO'N ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,716,880 CIRCULAR WATER SKIS 0R SURFBOARD Hugh E. Soreuson, 3813-A N. 37th St., Milwaukee, Wis. 53264 Filed Sept. 25, 1970, Ser. No. 75,640 Int. Cl. A63c 15/00 US. Cl. 9-310 G 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A saucer-shaped water ski includes a rotatable turn table for receiving and supporting the users feet.

My invention relates to water skis, surf boards, and the like, and more particularly to a new and novel water ski type of device which is of circular design.

Both the professional and the amateur should find use for the invention. The professional should find new avenues of body movement to perform acrobatics which have not been possible heretofore. In same respects, the conventional water skis are difficult to maneuver since the individual skis sometime follow different paths. Thus, skill and experience is required for their manipulation. For both professional and amateur, the invention provides a device that is designed to eliminate hazards. It permits the operator to stand in a fixed position on a stationary surface. The surface is mounted onto a revolving disc that is free to move and revolve in any direction in following its path.

Accordingly, an object of my invention is to provide a circular water ski type of device that is free to revolve without affecting the stance of the operator.

Another object is to provide a water ski type of device that reacts with the force of the surface of the water onto which it is disposed while in use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described that is a self-contained unit, easy to transport or convey to any predetermined location.

The device is very simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and yet highly eflicient for the purpose for which it is intended.

Other and further objects of my invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds, when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. '1 is a perspective view of the water ski type of device, in operation, showing the center disc supporting the user, and held in a stationary manner, leaving the outer disc free to revolve on the surface of the water, over which it is being towed;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the assembled device showing the center disc centrally mounted within the outer disc;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the entire assembled device taken at the line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

. FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of the outer disc with the center disc rotatably supported thereon, to permit rotation of the outer disc while the inner disc is held stationary by the operator; and

. FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment with a stabilizing water fin on the bottom thereof.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts and features throughout the several views. More "Ice particularly, the character 10 identifies a main, or outer, saucer or disc-shaped hull, and the character 11 identifies an inner disc or platform which is held in a stationary position relative to the forward motion by the user, who is standing thereon.

These discs 10 and 11 may be constructed of any suitable rigid material such as plastic, wood, or metal. They are held in engagement with one another, at their center, by means of a bolt 12 or the equivalent thereof. If desired, the outer peripheral edge of the outer disc may be raised in a radial arc and formed as shown at 13 (FIG. 3).

By referring to FIG. 4, it will be noted that the preferably circular center plate or disc 11 is shown resting on a race 15 of ball bearings 14, which balls are disposed in a circular metal channel resting on the top surface of the outer disc 10. The race 15 may be attached to the outer shell 10 in any convenient and efiicient manner. The center disc 11 is equipped with a metal plate 16 for contact with the balls 14 and thereby completing the race. The metal channel 15 may have its outer wall extend upwardly to surround the periphery of the plate 11 in close proximity thereto, if plate 11 is of circular contour.

An upper bushing 17 surrounds the bolt 12 and almost rests on a lower bushing 18. These bushings are positioned between the discs 10 and 11 for partial support of the disc 11. If it is desirable to reduce the free turning of plate 11 with respect to disc 10, the bushings may rest on each other with a controlled amount of friction.

If desired, two stirrups shown as 19 may be attached to the top surface of the disc 11 in order to accommodate the feet of the user during the performance.

A second embodiment of the invention adds a fin or rudder 22 on the bottom of the disc in order to give the user a different form of control since the disc 10 will tend to follow a more stable path through the water as it is towed. To assist the user, indices 23-25 may be provided on the parts 13, 15, 11 so that the user will be aware of the direction of travel. It may also be desirable to add several arcuately displaced indices at 24, 24' to aid the user in bank and turn maneuvers.

From the above description it will become apparent that the water ski or surfboard type of device constituting my invention is unique in its construction. It permits the user to assume a positive stance during the skiing performance. In the preferred embodiment, the lower disc 10 is free to revolve in any direction in its contact with the surface of the water. In the second embodiment a stabilizing fin is provided.

Although I have shown a specific construction of the parts and their arrangement, I am fully cognizant that many changes may be made without affecting their operativeness. Accordingly, the appended claim is to be constructed to cover all equivalents which do not depart from the spirit or the scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A water ski comprising a circular and generally saucer-shaped hull free of any towline connections and having a flat bottom with a fin dependent therefrom, said circular hull having an upswept side rim rising from a circular chine positioned inboard of the hull periphery a distance approximately equal to one-tenth of the total diameter of said circular hull, a circular bearing race comprising an upstanding collar shaped channel member resting concentrically on the top surface of said hull,

4 said race having a diameter in the order of one-fourth References Cited to one-third the diameter of said hull, a rotatable plat- I UNITED STATES PATENTS form means fitted 1n said upstanding collar member and rotatably secured to said hull by a bushing having a con- 3,335,440 8/1967 Beakbane G trolled amount of friction, the periphery of said plat- 5 3,434,167 3/1969 Vecchlo ct 3,045,264 7/ 1962 Smith 9310 G form being supported by hearings in said race, a pair of feet retaining stirrups on said platform, and indicia means on said hull and said platform for indicating the MILTON BUCHLER Pnmary Examiner orientation of said fin relative to said stirrups. P. E. SAUBERER, Assistant Examiner 

